This was the second place I visited while filming my Anxiety Tips from Historical places series on Youtube.
Here is the link to watch it , if you haven't already.
This was a beautiful place. Tucked away from a small Oxfordshire village, through a wood and down into the valley with a fast flowing river called "Evenlode" and rolling fields. It's peaceful and feels like you could be the only person in the world. (Well... that's when you don't see people).
The best part about it, it's FREE to go and you could easily spend the whole day here. Weather permitting of course!
The once grand Villa would have been in the shape of a rectangle with a massive courtyard inside lined with perhaps tree's and a grassy area. The photo above is looking towards what once would have been the courtyard.
There was corridor's and gatehouses as well as baths. A mosaic floor still exists (typically though when I went I couldn't access it, but I did have a sneek peak through the window. And what I did see looked spectacular.
They do also believe that this site was actually occupied earlier than the roman times. Having found iron age pottery on the site. This Iron age site was then taken over in around 1AD or 2AD by the romans who started to occupy Britain. The site back then would have looked different though and not as ornate and grand as it would look eventually. Then it only consisted of three buildings.
Then as time went on by the early 3rd Century AD the south west and north east wings were added. The wings then were lengthened and the original structure of the north west and those three buildings were knocked down and completely rebuilt to make it one colossal and ornate building. At this point it would have gone from three to 11 rooms with underfloor heating, 3 baths and 16 mosaic floors.
Surveys done have also found that there where further buildings which may have included perhaps a farm. Quarries have been found to exist here too where they would quarry building materials. And farmland used to surround the villa with special ditches to keep the animals from escaping.
It is believed that by perhaps the 5th century AD this villa was abandoned, due to the decline in the once thriving and influential Roman Empire falling into ruin. It's powerful day's ceasing to be no more. The Empire that had stretched all around the Mediterranean Sea , Europe, North Africa and western Asia for around a 1000 years had fallen, the Roman troops left Britain.
This is what It perhaps would have looked like in the 4th century before it was abandoned in the 5th Century AD. I mean if I may so, I would not mind this being my house!
Just think how much space you could have?!?!
Anyway onto my Anxiety Tips.
These are the tips that I included in the video:
Exercise - This really helps any mental health to be honest. Even, if it's just taking a short walk once a day. This helps to act as if your running away from something (so helps take down the adrenaline).
Watching Funny Video's- This is a fun one to do also, sharing the funny video's with others will make you feel better as well. This is a good one to do when anxious but it has to be something really, really funny that will be able to divert your attention away from the anxiety.
3.) Brain Teasers- When we are anxious our logical side of the brain shuts of brain teasers are great at turning it back on and decreasing your anxiety. So grab that sudoku or crossword and get that logical mind staying on.
Hope you liked these tips: And it's all about testing and seeing what works for you. So don't be discouraged if the ones I have mentioned so far in my blogs don't work. I will be writing more so stay tuned. Till next time.
See you soon and thanks for reading!
Corinne
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